Aika: Illuminated
by LoverlyLit
Summary: Aika Saidao is in trouble. First, she found out that she glows; and that is definitely either something to do with the spirits or a medical condition. Not to mention that the cause of her mother's death is a little more serious than she thought. So, she pretty much has to stop the nightly disappearances and right her father's city, all while trying to stay alive. Easy. All OCs.
1. Prologue

**For those of you who do not know, Aika: Illuminated was originally published on the Avatar Wikia. It was received pretty well - it wasn't the most popular, but those who read it enjoyed it. I'm rewriting it because it just didn't satisfy me.**

* * *

Cat-owls hooted at the two small figures stumbling up the pathway to the ridge. The night air was crisp and cold, and the second visitor coughed.

"Aika," he implored, "come on, Dad will worry."

The first figure, a small girl in a mourning dress white like the moon, didn't bother herself to glance back. "Dad didn't worry before," her young throat choked out, tears falling from her cheeks.

"Aika, come on. It's not safe up here. People are going to come looking for us."

"I don't care," she protested, wiping furiously at her eyes. Her skin turned raw red, her eyelashes falling onto her cheeks. "I don't care," she said again, her voice rising and churning with anger. "I don't care! I hate life, I hate death, and I hate the spirits!" she screamed at the sky. The stars gazed back at the little girl, faceless and unfeeling.

"Come on. Take it easy. Let's go back home," her brother begged, not daring to step any closer.

"I'm not going back to him," Aika sobbed, trying to walk nearer the far edge of the cliff but tripping and falling onto the hard-packed soil.

"He's our dad," the boy sighed. His voice was small and soft. "Are you alright?"

"He doesn't love us, Aki!" she screamed at her brother. "He didn't love Mom, and he didn't love us." He began to protest, and Aika's hands gripped the long grass. The ground smoldered, and her hands began to burn an achingly hot white.

"Whoa," her brother stumbled back, falling into a small piece of brush. "You're bending. Aika, just, just try and calm down, okay?"

Aika sobbed. "You can't tell me what I can do, Aki. You're not that strong. Okay? Dad never loved us. He never loved Mom, and before you can even realize it, he'll have a new wife and new kids, and you'll love them like you love me, but I'll hate them! I'll hate them, and her, and you!" Fire rolled from her fists as she stood, sparking tiny bonfires around her feet.

"Aika, please, get a grip," he said quietly, his breath quickening. "You're scaring me. Please."

The cat-owls hooted.

Aika's furious sobs racked her body, and she felt something stir in her stomach, a murmur, a whisper. She opened her green eyes to her brother, and, seeing the terror on his young face, looked down.

Little tendrils of light, like glowing veins, were spreading out from her core and into her limbs, illuminating her body with a ghastly yellow-white glow. Her brother stumbled back into the night, his footsteps echoing into the air, and she screamed.

The lights went out and Aika Saidao was engulfed in darkness.

* * *

**AN: So, here's the prologue. I tried to make this one more accurate to almost-five-year-olds than the first, but I think I sacrificed the intensity.**

**I have mixed feelings about this one, so please clear up those feelings with a little read-and-review and thank you very much! If you've already read the original Aika, please tell me what you thought of this one and what you're looking forward to. If you're just reading this one, please tell me how you liked it. I love critique, critique is what improves things, so PLEASE critique! If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the review or PM me. Thank you for reading and have a great day, you guys! *waves***


	2. Chapter One: Snuffed

Her hand gripped the slick roots of the tree's underfoot and she heaved herself up onto the ridge. The pathway had more or less crumbled in the last thirteen or so years, and the frequent nightly visitor who grew as quickly as the path itself aged wasn't helping any.

Aika sighed and rubbed her eyes. It must've been midnight by now. Sleep deprivation was going to be the death of her, she was sure. _Alright, Aika, you should actually sleep tomorrow_, she told herself. She ran a hand through her mane of black curls and hung her ever-present satchel on a nearby branch. The cat-owls perched in the trees regarded her quietly as she made her way to a spot on the ridge. It overlooked her city of Yanyu, the streetlights like yellow speckles of paint in a black-and-white scene. It was respectively called a city, anyhow, though it was politically a kingdom. Aika's father's kingdom. She had always secretly hoped to get away from her princess title, but around the time she turned twelve she made a definite decision to make the most of constantly being shoved into the public.

As best as one could do, at least.

Aika adjusted her seat on the cold grass and folded her legs into the lotus position. She let her fingers run over the petals of a small yellow flower near her foot. Forcing her mind to wander probably wasn't the right approach, but quite honestly, she was getting fed up of trying to do that light-up thing she did after her mother's funeral so long ago. Maybe it was a fluke. But maybe it was something special, she hoped. So she closed her eyes and thought of a memory still vivid in her mind: when Raiden and Akihiko dropped her hand-written volumes of lightbending - completely her invention and handiwork and absolute _passion_ - down the garbage shoot. And when she only recovered eight of the eleven.

A spark, perhaps the start, ignited itself in her core. She felt it fizz there for a moment before it snuffed out.

Aika cursed, catching her bottom lip between her teeth and straightening her back. She felt a cold autumn breeze roll over her skin, weave through her hair, leave her with a softness so gentle it made her ache for more.

Aika sighed and tried again, this time thinking of all the stress that plagued her. Her eighteenth birthday in just nine months, the impending political grooming that arrived with that, rewriting the missing three volumes, the application for that prestigious athletic university she had to decide whether or not to turn in, the triplets' second birthday in a couple months, the interview for Athlete's Semi-Monthly that afternoon, the editorial for some catalog in a few days, the radio interview she was meant to do next week, and not to mention her expected appearance in Republic City when the spring probending season began. Her mom had always wanted to take her to Republic City. She had promised. She had also promised she would still be here, though, Aika reminded -

She gasped. A surge of light had exploded from her core. Not lasting or enough reason to call a doctor, but enough light to leave a lingering glow in the air, like fireflies. It wasn't the best feeling in the word, but it had a satisfying aftertaste.

Jumping to her feet in victory, Aika clasped her hands to her mouth, muffling her shouts of triumph. "Yes! Oh my gosh, yes!"

In a nearby tree, a mother cat-owl hushed her with a caw and a ruffle of her feathers. "Oh, come on, you shush." Aika rolled her eyes before biting her lip and squealing as she sat down to try it again. The results were the same, but with far less enthusiasm.

Aika let out a long breath, leaning back on her hands. She looked up at the starts and imagined they were spirits. "Okay. Alright. It's about time, you guys. And I'm not asking for much, but would it be possible for me to get, like, some cool fighting powers with this whole glowing thing? You know, help me beat up my brothers." She sat up and sparred with the air for a moment before tilting her head back. "No? Really? Okay then. I mean, no offense, but you guys just hand out weird powers and don't make them the least bit fight-y?" Her stomach rumbled and she shushed it. "Not right now. Anyways, um ... ooh! Could I maybe, you know, fly?"

She sprang to her feet and did a jump just for good measure.

Nothing.

"Well then. Fine, I'll take what I get. I'm not the Avatar. I get it. You guys do the whole favoritism thing, too. I'll just go back to using my regular bending. Hint hint? Nothing? 'Kay." Her stomach rumbled again, almost sounding human. Aika looked down, pouting her lips. "Are you hungry? Can you make a little cake appear so I can eat it?"

The voice spoke again. _Your bending is anything but regular, Aika Saidao._

On normal circumstances, she would've been extremely creeped out, but her sleep-deprived brain wasn't up to processing all of this fully. "You can call me Aika, you know ..."

_Do not take it for granted._

"My _name_? I mean, yeah, it's okay, but ..."

_Your bending, Aika Saidao, is something special._

Aika gave an awkward chuckle. "Look, uh, Mr. Tummy-Man, you're ... uh ... nice and creepy and all, but you're kinda freaking me out here, so ... wait, how long have you been _in_ there?"

_I cannot leave, Aika Saidao, until you have righted your father's city._

Aika snorted. This was way too cheesy, like one of her old books. "Great, so what exactly is my little destiny, O-Great-Stomach-Monster?" It didn't answer. "You better be gone. Talking stomachs are not a good start to the day." She began walking back to the cliff side.

"Hey, _could_ I have some cake?"

"Aikes," Akihiko greeted her as she walked into the dining hall some seven or eight hours later.

"Don't call me that," she frowned, observing the scenery. The dining hall always looked fundamentally the same, with the smooth marble floors and painstakingly huge tapestries of badgermoles and lost cities draping the walls. Today, only three other figures lined the long dining table as opposed to the usual dozen or so. Akihiko, her twin brother, was approaching her whilst the two other bodies were sitting casually in the chairs stuffing their faces with exploded potato mush.

Her half-brothers.

"You guys are still eating? I thought I completely missed breakfast," she confessed, passing by Aki and taking her seat, grabbing an apple from one of the decorative bowls.

"You did," Jiro told her. He was the younger of her twin half-brothers, but unlike Raiden, he actually acted like the crown prince to Yanyu. Most of the time. "We're having brunch."

Aika watched in disgust as Raiden, who was seated across from her, shoved a fistful of roasted tuber in his mouth, most of it missing completely. "I can't believe you two are going to rule Yanyu someday." She slung her satchel off her shoulder and retrieved a sandwich and thermos of warm tea. Jiro laughed and wiped his face with a napkin before he reached for more potatoes.

"How'd it go?" Akihiko whispered, pulling a chair closer to her.

She shrugged. "My stomach talked to me."

She hadn't realized quite how loud she said it, and when she looked up from unscrewing her thermos she met Raiden's wide golden eyes. "Um," he began, a smirk itching his cheek. "Is that a normal occurrence for you, Aika, sister, dear?"

She rolled her eyes. "Not quite, Raiden, brother, dear."

"I'm just very concerned for you, Aika, sister, dear."

"I could say the same to you, Raiden, brother, dear."

"I want to make your life as enjoyable as possible, Aika, sister -"

"Good spirits, Jiro, your brother's hopeless." Aika leaned back in her chair in mock exasperation but couldn't help the smile that invaded her face. "You guys don't seriously believe in the Stomach Monster, do you?"

"The Stomach Monster?" Aika turned to see a fifth body enter the room. Wen smiled and sauntered over to the table, trying and failing to sneak a piece of lettuce from Aika's sandwich. "Who's the Stomach Monster?"

"The Stomach Monster," Aika began, "is a really annoying guy who camps out in your stomach. He's not cool."

"Oh," Wen said, leaving the conversation uncomfortably open. Aika glanced over at her leaning against the back of Akihiko's chair. Wen was the seventh youngest of the family, if you counted the step-siblings Aimi and Enlai, as her twelfth birthday was still six months away. She had the basic Saidao looks: black hair, green eyes. Raiden, Jiro, and baby Lily were the only biological children who didn't share both those traits.

Aika let out a breath. "Come on, Wen, I need your help choosing an outfit for later. I don't trust the boys' opinion." When Aika stood, Wen didn't even reach her shoulder. She was small for her age, and it didn't help that her frame was so slight she looked like a fragile doll compared to her athletic, tall older sister.

Wen readily agreed and trailed behind Aika like a faithful dog. They quietly walked through the halls for a while before Aika could no longer stand the pounding of her younger sister's footsteps. "Wen," she half-asked, half-scolded, "please don't stomp."

"I'm not!"

"Wen, you're not that heavy. You are."

Wen huffed and reverted back to her normal soundless footsteps. Aika highly doubted she weighed more than seventy pounds. "It's just that Aki told me I had to be better ... grounded."

"Grounded?" Aika rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to Aki. He's just a stupid boy."

Wen fiddled with the hem of her dress. Unlike Aika, the only time she wore pants was for training. "Well, um, Aki is an earthbender. And so am I. And it kind of makes sense, I guess. For earthbenders. Who bend earth. Because they're earthbenders."

Aika narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying Aki's opinion weighs more than mine?"

"No!" Wen cried out, then fell quiet. "Well, um. I guess. In this subject."

Aika's jaw fell open. "You don't want me to teach you anymore!" she accused. Wen's remorseful and apologetic smile was all the confirmation she needed. "Why? Is this Aki's idea? If it is -"

Wen groaned as they turned a corner. "No. It was kind both of our idea," she confessed. "It's just that ... well, you're a firebender. Kind of. A lightbender. You've studied airbending forms your whole life, Aika, I just don't think its the best option for you to be teaching me earthbending I'm sorry don't kill me." Her words were rushed.

Aika was quiet. She had taught Wen earthbending most of her life. Or, more accurately, coached her. Aki had always taught her the basics and Aika would kind of take it from there. She thought she was bettering her skills, but had she really just been holding her back all this time?

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Wen added. "It's just that, maybe it would be better if I trained with an earthbender for a while."

Aika stared ahead. "Sure."

"Really?" Wen asked. "You're not offended?"

"Of course not. I've been meaning to devote more of my time towards my own bending anyways." Aika lied. She had already fully developed lightbending. All that was left to do is rewrite those lost volumes and clean up some edges on her forms for good measure. She tried her best to put Wen's words behind her as she turned the corner into the portrait hall.

It was her least favorite place in the palace, by far. Portraits of her father, King Longwei, and his wives lined the halls. Wen loved looking at the beautiful faces. They just haunted Aika. A painting of Li Saidao in her wedding dress smiled at her from the left.

"Stop for a second," Wen told her, rushing over to get a better look. Aika reluctantly followed. "That's Raiden and Jiro's mother, right?"

"Yep," Aika sighed. "She died when they were a month old." Li couldn't have been twenty years old in that picture. Her pale skin was radiant, her golden eyes striking. She was born in the Fire Nation, Aika remembered, but other than that her history was practically nonexistent. And then Wen was moving towards her absolute least favorite ten feet in the entire palace.

"It's your mom!" Wen glanced back at her with a wide smile.

"Yeah. Let's keep going." Aika snapped, walking past the frames without glancing over.

"No, I want to look at her." Wen frowned, leaning absurdly close to the canvas and forcing Aika to look back.

Sora Saidao was a spirit. At least, she was treated that way. A beacon of pure innocence, a beautiful woman who married the heartbroken king and captured his heart. A pitiful queen who bore him twins and fell ill four years later - to the day. Her story was a legend, a simple, bittersweet myth in Yanyu history, unlike Li Saidao's untimely passing and introverted reign. No, Sora Saidao was loved by the entire world.

And then she died.

But her story was slipping from the memory of the people, too, and it started the day Longwei married the gorgeous seductress known as Lily-Cuifen. As far as Aika was concerned, the only good thing that sprouted from that marriage was Wen. End of story, period. Of course, the public had learned from only the one-dimensional image Lily-Cuifen gave them. A beautiful woman with two young children saved the distraught king, now a two-time widower, and bore him four children and counting, still retaining her shapely figure and appetite for kid-making -

"Why do you hate my mom?"

"Hmm?" Aika turned her attention to her younger sister. Judging from Wen's expression, she had caught her staring daggers at a portrait of Lily-Cuifen not five feet away. "Oh. It's kind of difficult to explain, okay?"

"But she's my _mom_." Wen started walking again, and Aika was happy to be on the move.

"Look, Wen, I'll give you the quick version. Your mom and my dad are very similar," she began. "They both like money. They both like fame. They both like having kids, and they both don't bother to pay attention to them unless they will bring them money and fame."

"But it's more than that," Wen protested.

Aika closed her eyes and sighed. "I know it is. But I don't want you to know why I hate her, okay? I don't want to ruin your little eleven-year-old brain." She affectionately rubbed Wen's scalp with her palm, and the intended effect of distracting her worked. Aika knew very well that her brothers had a clue as to why she hated her stepmother and vice versa. Raiden and Jiro were sort of used to being raised by an un-biological mother. She knew they missed Sora. She knew that Wen wistfully wished she had known her. And she knew that Sora Saidao was never going to reappear and right all the wrongs in the city and come to the palace and hug her daughter and kick Lily-Cuifen out and parent Wen and do everything Aika wished she would.

After all, Sora Saidao was a spirit.


	3. Chapter Two: Glares

_Aika snuck a glance in the mirror. Her silk dress was absolutely horrible, with the biggest bustle ever put on a seven-year-old and absurdly huge red flowers on the belt. Her curly black hair had been thoroughly flat-ironed and forced into a painfully tight bun resting on the top of her scalp. She was expected to play the part of the gown-holder for the bride, traditionally a part given to the bride's sister or niece. _

_"Now, Aki," a sugary voice said behind her, and she turned._

_Lily-Cuifen was unimaginably beautiful that day. She had slick, lush hair darker than the blackest tea, and next to her porcelain skin and icy blue eyes, she looked positively striking. Her lips were painted a red that most brides skirted away from, but her gown was made of a fine golden silk that exploded at her knees into a long, round train._

_Aika couldn't have cared less. This woman was replacing her mother. That wasn't something you could just do. "My name is Aika," she protested. "Aki is my brother."_

_Lily-Cuifen sighed, pushing past her to use the mirror. "Yes, yes. Whatever. You see, little girl, my main issue with you is that you don't know your place. Do you understand me?"_

_Aika glared. "Yes."_

_"Good, good," Lily-Cuifen glanced over her shoulder at the small girl and smiled. "You're not completely useless, I see. But, you know, I knew from the moment I saw you that you would be a very difficult little addition to my family."_

_"You're marrying my father!" Aika exclaimed._

_The woman in front of her just groaned at her reflection. "See? See, this is what I'm talking about. You, little girl, need to learn how to be a princess. A princess does not speak against her queen. She is silent and obedient. She learns her laws, and does not, under any circumstances, bend." Lily-Cuifen turned back around to face her. The dressing room was suddenly silent in its emptiness. "Do you bend?"_

_Aika stared back at her with her jaw set._

_"I asked you a question, daughter," her stepmother bent down to face her. "Do you bend?"_

_"Yes," Aika answered reluctantly._

_"And what do you bend?"_

_"Light."_

_"And did you invent that little power of yours?" She nodded and Lily-Cuifen sighed. "You see, you are not a princess. Princesses do not make up bending and they do not do gymnastics. But maybe you'll make my own little girl look better, hm? Do you want that?"_

_"No," Aika whispered, and a hand whipped her cheek._

_"Wrong answer," Lily-Cuifen snapped. "You want to make my Aimi look better. You will, under no circumstances, ever try to outshine my daughter. If you manage to, there will be consequences, alright?" She smiled her beautiful smile and stood up. "Now. How about you be a good little princess and help me marry your father, okay?"_

"Oh, spirits," Aika groaned. "_You're_ in here, too?"

Aimi gripped her hip and titled her head in a way that made her look like a mutated owl. She furrowed her thin black brows and squinted her cold blue eyes. "How _dare_ you schedule your fitting at the same time as me?"

"Me?" Aika exclaimed, reluctantly hopping onto the platform next to Aimi in the long dressing room. "If I would've known, I wouldn't have scheduled it for right now. Trust me, I don't want to see you in underwear." She started to strip.

"I could say the same for you," Aimi sucked her teeth as she examined herself in the mirrors. "You really need to stop your rabbit-mole diet, you know. And, since you obviously haven't noticed, excessive muscles aren't exactly attractive on everyone."

"It's not a rabbit-mole diet, it's called not eating _buckets_ of meat," Aika snapped as the seamstresses began exchanging nervous glances. Whenever Aika and Aimi were in a room together, things got tense. When they were alone, well, people tended to call the ambulance in advance. A small-framed, big-eyed assistant motioned for Aika to raise her arms as the laced a measuring tape around her waist.

Aimi obviously decided it wasn't worth the hassle and risk of a ruined manicure to reply to that. Instead, she promptly turned to one of her own seamstresses and raised her eyebrows. "I'm _so_ sorry, did I _say_ that I wanted you to come over here?"

"N-No, Miss Honghui," she mumbled, crumpling the pale blue dress she held in her fists.

"Don't you _dare_ ruin that fabric!" Aika rolled her eyes and raised her voice. "Excuse me? Everybody? I would like to make it clear that, unless I call you over, you are not expected to approach me without my consent, alright? Now, let's try this again. I request one of my seamstresses to help me fit that dress. _Now_."

"She's been like this all morning," the girl measuring Aika's hips whispered.

"I can imagine," she replied, smirking. "She's always a nightmare."

"Thank you for not being like her, Princess," the girl, who had to be younger than Aika, blushed. "Would you like to try the green evening gown first, or your new red formal?"

"The formal, please," Aika told her, sighing at her reflection. She tried to treat her workers better than Aimi's, but in some ways, she was kind of just as bad in a different sense. She missed her appointments and war meetings, putting most of her extensive wardrobe to waste, and she usually tore the dresses they made for her sooner or later. Her frequent public appearances demanded new dresses, even though she could sometimes manage to get away with a pair of nice-fitting pants. _Stop beating yourself up_, she thought. _At least you don't abuse your servants._

Luckily, she didn't have a lot of time to push the thoughts out of the way when a knock on the door did the work for her.

"Uh, hey," a voice called out. Aika groaned. _Raiden_. "Is Aika in there, or is she, like, naked or something?"

"I'll be out in a second," she yelled through the door, motioning for a blanket to wrap herself in. With a huff, she slipped out of the doorway to face a smug-faced Raiden holding an apple. "Alright, what do you want?"

"The nanny for the triplets is sick," he said in a helpful sort of tone, even though he was even less help than usual.

"And this concerns me how?"

"Well," he shrugged and took a bite out of his apple. "Dad told me to watch them for the day. But I don't want to do it."

Aika rolled her eyes. "Aren't you the last of the hard workers?"

"Thanks," Raiden smiled. "But anyways, I just decided to push the responsibility onto you. You're welcome."

Aika fanned her face with her hand, expressionless. "Oh, stop or I'm going to faint from your mighty presence."

"Your sarcasm is doing pretty well today, I see."

"I got a good sleep last night. Feeling pretty up to it," she smiled. "And you also give me the best material, of course."

"Oh, don't flatter me," Raiden spun the fruit in his hand. "Hey, I didn't really mean to ask you to watch them for me. Jiro and I have an impromptu bending practice right now, and I was just sulking past the fitting room, so here we go."

Aika poked him in the chest with a smirk. "You totally did it on purpose. But I'll do it. It wouldn't be the first time. Where are they, the nursery or something?"

"Spheriallus Park."

"Uh, where?"

"Spheriallus," he repeated. "That new park that opened down in central Yanyu."

Her mouth dropped open as she took that in. "You left them there alone, you idiot?"

He held up his hands in protest. "Cool down, they're with the nanny! I said she was sick, I didn't say she was off the job." Aika huffed and pushed past him into the fitting room. "Hey, I'm sorry but thanks!" he yelled through the door.

"What was _that_ about?" Aimi sighed, turning so she could look over her shoulder and see how the back fit. Which was completely pointless, since the thing didn't even have a gown. Aika glared at her. Ever since Lily-Cuifen had married Longwei, she and Aimi had made a pact to hate each other. They signed a mutual contract, even. It had been written up after a seven-year-old Aika slipped a frog down Aimi's dress. To be fair, it had been washed. She snickered at the memory.

Washed in a toilet.

She hadn't used it. Akihiko had, maybe, but that was besides the point. It wasn't hard to hate each other, seeing as how they were, under no circumstances whatsoever, going to ever like each other.

She sighed. "Raiden decided I should hang out with the triplets, even though it's none of your business."

"'Hang out?' Good spirits, would it _kill_ you to just act like a princess once in a while?" Aimi raised a tentative brow at her.

"Yes, it would," Aika smiled, and it was laced with sugary sweetness. She had seen her stepmother smile that smile so many times, it wasn't exactly hard to imitate it.

"In that case, do it," Aimi snipped with a sugary grin of her own.

"Is that your attempt at sarcasm? Oh, honey, I'm afraid that's a bit too rich for your talents," Aika rolled her eyes. A couple of the seamstresses exchanged nervous glances. "I'm sorry, could I get my clothes back real quick? Thank you."

"You sure, dear?" Ayla cooed, digging a finger under a roll of fat on her arm.

"Yeah," Aika's breath came out in a frozen mist. Her hands were stuck down deep in her pockets. "Raiden sent me."

"Oh, I know, Princess." Ayla clucked, "But the triplets can be quite a handful. Especially Jian. You know, his brainy problems."

"I know," Aika fought the urge to roll her eyes as she tugged her hood over her head. "He's mentally handicapped. Not very good when he's an earthbender. Can I just take the reins here?" A pebble hit her head, no doubt from the sprite himself.

Ayla looked warily from a dark cloaked man to the triplets in a sandbox and back to Aika. "Oh ... I'm just not sure ..."

"Go, Ayla." Aika pointed to the arching entrance of Spheriallus Park. The nursemaid nodded, bowed her head, and shuffled off. Aika turned back to the three two-year-olds.

"Aimi!" Lily cried out.

Dang it.

Aika forced a smile. "No, not Aimi. Aika. _Aika_."

Longwei Jr. stopped shoveling sand. "Aika bad. Aimi says so."

"Bad Aika?" Lily questioned.

"Bad."

Jian gurgled. Lily started screaming. Longwei stuffed a fistful of drool-covered sand into his mouth. Aika winced. "Longwei, we do not eat sand. No, no, Jian, Jian, don't bite wood. Ow! Okay, okay, bite all the wood you want. Hush, Lily, hush. Quiet. Lily-Cuifen – Mama – wouldn't like that. No. No."

"Princess Aika?"

She whipped her head around, accidentally striking Longwei with her hair. "Oh, sorry, buddy. Uh, yeah?"

It was the dark-cloaked man. "Hmm. Have a good hold on those children, do you?"

"Sure, I guess so – Jian, Jian, stop it. Ow." She tossed the pebble another direction and studied the man's shadowy face. "Um, sir? Do I know you?"

He laughed. "More than you think, Aika Saidao."

"Everybody knows my name, sir, you don't have bragging rights." The man kneeled down so he was face to face with her.

"Does everybody know your middle name is Mei?" She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "Does everyone know your carry your crown in your satchel? That you always carry a doughnut in case you get hungry? That you call your half-sister Wen? That you utterly despise Princess Aimi? Does everybody know that, Aika Mei Saidao?" He moved his hand to take off her hood, but she grabbed his wrist and pressed her knee into his stomach.

"Get. Away." She hissed, throwing the man back. He made a lunge for her, and she punched him in the ribcage.

"Ah ..."

"Look," She shot glares at him between glances at her half-siblings. "I don't know what you want with me ... money? Romance?"

"Information." He scowled.

"Information." Aika repeated, tasting the word as if sniffing a rare food. What ... why? "Well, uh, I don't know what kind of information you're fishing for, but Aika Saidao is a vault of things you don't have the key to. So get out of this park before I call on the police. Or, if you prefer more pain, firebending."

"It's not my duty ... I will not ..." Lunatic.

A shrill whistle sounded.

"I suppose it is my duty." The man whispered.

"What?" Aika was about to say, but the man was gone in an instant. Hurriedly, she shook off the event and gathered the triplets in her arms. "Kids, we're going home."

AN: I'm hoping you guys will like the next chapter. It introduces a ship, and we all know how much I love shipping people I mean _come on_


	4. Chapter Three: Flickers

"That'll be five copper, miss."

Aika sighed and dug in her wallet for some coins, dropping them on the vendor's counter and waiting while he began to squeeze some peach juice into an ice-filled cup. The villages in Southern Yanyu were already getting ready for autumn festival. Little girls sang songs and ran along the sidewalks while the boys played marbles in the road and challenged each other to earthbending matches. Unlike Northern Yanyu, where all the successful businessmen and general rich people lived, these little villages were few and far between of any automobiles. Everyone just kind of walked. The shops and houses were all painted different colors, oranges and pinks and blues, and Aika liked that.

"Miss? Here you go," the vendor told her, smiling. She returned the favor and took her drink, slipping her wallet back into her satchel. She walked down the street and listened to a group of girls Wen's age sing an old song about a king who didn't feed his people and in turn they all perished. It was supposedly a true story, with a bittersweet tune, and that was more reason that Aika wasn't allowed to sing it growing up, being a king's daughter and all. Her mother had only taught her the simple songs about soldiers and spring blossoms.

She smiled at a little boy who tackled his friend for winning at marbles. She liked how loud it was here, but in a happy way, not a hustle-and-bustle way. When she was a bit younger, she had tried to drag Jiro down here with her, but he wasn't so comfortable with being out in the open. She didn't blame him. He was the heir to Yanyu, of course.

Not that she got recognized. Her hair was always pulled into a bun when she visited, and she covered her freckles up with makeup. The people down here didn't have a lot of media coverage, so she felt pretty comfortable with walking around without being mobbed.

And then she spotted it: probably the oldest game played in Yanyu, with a group of guys huddled around it.

She moved to stand on the edge of the small crowd, watching. The owner of the game sat comfortably on a pillow, facing a boy around her age poised on his haunches. Between them, a single candle in its holder sat on the ground. "Look, here, okay," the owner began, twirling his mustache in his finger. "This candle has spark rocks in it. When I light it, it will flicker in and out, but all you have to do is guess when it first goes dark, okay? Simple enough?" The boy nodded and Aika shifted her position to see his face better. His hair was chestnut brown, cut short and it stood up a little. His face was was very boyish, and had a dusting of freckles along his small nose.

He gave the owner a copper coin and thought for a moment. "Seven seconds?"

The game owner raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Ah, alright, let's see." He dramatically lit a match and held it to the tip of the candle, waiting until it lit and then calling out to his assistant to time it. Everyone in the crowd, from the little boys to the old men, leaned forward in anticipation. Aika studied them with interest. She had always liked studying people. Everybody was so different, from their country to culture to family to beliefs. That was something she liked about hanging out with her brothers. Raiden was a reckless flirt; Jiro was responsible and reasonable; Akihiko was spitefully ruthless when it came to pranks and revenge; and she, of course, was fabulously sarcastic.

_One, two._ The crowd was tense.

_Three, four, five._ She smiled, seeing how nervous everyone was.

_Six_. Everybody inhaled. The candle flame wavered.

_Seven_. Nothing. A collective breath was released and the mood dropped. The game owner just smiled and tucked the copper piece into his bright blue coat pocket. "Sorry, boy," he grinned happily. "Better luck next time."

The boy sighed and stood up, letting the next guy move in and hand the owner a game. He guessed four seconds, which, naturally, was incorrect. The next one speculated five, and it blinked at two. Aika was starting to get pretty amused by this.

"The owner must be rich," somebody said next to her, and she turned to see who it was.

The guy from a couple rounds back was standing next to her, his eyes on the game. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen his gray eyes before, but decided to not mention it. "Probably," she agreed, turned back to the spectacle.

"It's just the chance," he said, and she glanced back at him. "That's why people do it, I mean."

"Oh," she said simply.

"Have you ever played it before?"

"No," she shook her head, smiling. "It's not really for me. I like things that have to do with strategy, you know? Planning things out, putting skill and effort into it. Not taking the easy way out. Not luck, not chance."

He nodded. "Pai sho?"

Aika grinned. "I love pai sho."

"Why don't you play?" he asked her, and his face flushed. "I mean, it's just a stupid game of luck. Something different."

She smirked. "You think I should?"

"Well, um, you don't really need my opinion, but if –"

"I'll try," she called out, raising her hand and moving to sit in front of the game owner. He smiled coldly at her and held his hand out for a coin. She fiddled around with her satchel and handed it over to him. "Two and a half seconds," she told him sweetly.

"Keno, time this," he called out again to his assistant and lit the candle.

Aika immediately dropped her gaze to the flame. _One, two. _And then she mentally tugged at the light the little flame was emitting, sending it off momentarily to a different place and then promptly returning it. It was probably the simplest move she could do with her lightbending, and the basis for most everything she had developed. It was just diluting and concentrating light.

The game owner's pale eyes flicked up to her and then to the candle and then to his assistant. "What was that?"

Keno looked up, eyes wide. "Two point five-o seconds."

Aika smiled, pushing dimples into her cheeks. "My luck's pretty good, I guess," she shrugged and stood. "No, I don't need a prize, thank you." As she walked away, she heard a couple men murmuring something about a lucky charm or perhaps a witch.

"Your _luck_ is _pretty good?_" the boy asked her, eyebrows raised in good humor. She shrugged again and walked past him with the intent of returning back to the palace, but he turned on his heel and fell in stride with her. "You know, I thought you looked familiar."

"Seriously?" she stared at him. "The first time somebody recognizes me and it's when I'm _seventeen_?"

He blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I was kind of in your class for a few years."

She studied his face, searching through her memory for a match. "Oh, gosh. Um. Secondary school? Like, seventh grade, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Back when you were in school."

She bit her lip. All the Saidao kids dropped out of public school when they hit fifteen. Akihiko still got some private tutoring now and then, but she had finished last year with Raiden. Jiro had completed his studies early, too. The whole point of being in a public school was socialization. King Longwei figured that it would also gain them likability or whatever for when they ruled. As for this boy, he did look more familiar the more she looked at him. Finally, she snapped her fingers. "Advanced Literature."

He nodded shyly. "And Advanced Mathematics, too."

"Right!" she exclaimed. "You were the kid with that stupid name and - um. Oh. Uh, sorry."

He laughed dryly. "It's okay. I don't know what my parents were thinking when they named their kid Zhengzhen. With the last name Zhengzhong, too."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I mean, and I thought my dad was stupid. But, um, you and Aki were best friends. You guys had Drama together, yeah. Then we dropped out and you two stopped hanging out."

"We - well, yeah, pretty much," Zhengzhen nodded. Aika turned so she was actually looking where she was going. "Oh, were you going home? Because I can leave you alone if you want."

"You're fine," she told him, but that sounded a little too clingy, especially for her taste, so she added, "unless you have something to do. But yes, I am going back home."

"Then I should go," he decided, already backing away as if she had starting chucking rocks at his face. "But, um, bye? Aika? Princess Aika?"

She raised her hand at him and gave a small smile. "See you." And then, after he tripped and fell on top of some angry kid, turned around and hurried off.

The library was big, undeniably. And Aika loved it that way.

Until she was twelve, it was just an insignificant wing of the palace that nobody payed much attention to. But then she had really begun to get into her lightbending, and that meant she needed more references than the few old scrolls they carried on Air Nomad culture. So she put a lot of money into renovating it, and suggested the "immature" and "absolutely absurd" notion that it should be reopened to the public like it had been before her father took over. Ultimately, her efforts came to a good conclusion, even though Lily-Cuifen had some "favors" done in order to get the king to support her. Aika still hadn't quite regained the money she had spent on the seven-level, brass-accented building.

"Morning, Princess," the librarian greeted her, and Aika nodded. She already knew the exact location she was looking for, and she had it placed on the second floor for her convenience.

After piling an armload of worn-out scrolls and books on one of the long tables next to the railing, she sat down. The library was comprised of a circle, and the staircase in the middle of the floor rose up in a spiral, little tendrils shooting off the sides and leading into each of the floors. Aika sighed, pleased, and began digging through her findings for what she needed.

She had a tendency to bury herself in her work. Sometimes she would just hole herself up in here and take her leftovers to her room after the library closed at night. You could say she was a bit of a bookworm, but she highly preferred reading legends and philosophy and studying forms as opposed to sitting at a desk and listening to long lectures. These written words had life and stories. Somebody had sat down and dragged the brush along the page with their own hand, or for the more recent novels and lessons, printed them. It was overwhelming sometimes, all the things she had read, and she got them mixed up more often than she'd like.

Akihiko hated how well-rounded she was, and he made a point to berate her about it whenever she tried to tutor him. He teased her constantly about choosing between being athletic and being intellectual, but she saw how much he absolutely loathed learning. He knew very well he didn't want to study. Besides, he was more of a people person than she was. So it balanced out

And then she paused, setting a finger on the characters to make sure she'd keep her place. And reread it again to make sure it was what she thought it was, and then jumped to her feet and read it a third time.

_Many airbending masters strived to unblock all chakras,_ she read, mouthing the words to herself. _The seven chakras are all of equal importance, but some gurus and masters chose to unblock only one chakra, believing it was key to their survival. This was usually the air chakra, located in the heart, or the fire chakra, located in the stomach. Those who unlocked only those believed that, by unlocking the core of the body, it sequentially unlocked the rest of the chakras. However, that was debated within the Air Nomads, and was eventually debunked. After time, nobody practiced that method, and those who unlocked their chakras strived to unlock them all._

"The Stomach Monster," Aika whispered, slamming the book closed and slipping it into her satchel. "Oh, spirits. Does it have to do with chakras? That would be inconvenient." She continued to organize the mess she had made, moving around to place the scrolls and volumes back where she found them, all the while mumbling to herself about the possibilities of the voice she had heard in her stomach. To be completely honest with herself, she hadn't felt it leave since that day, and she had been avoiding snacking as best she could knowing something was in there. After debating with herself for a good ten minutes, she hesitantly made her way down the staircase and up to the librarian's desk.

"I'm sorry," she started, "but do you have any specific volumes on Air Nomad philosophy or ... or maybe anything on chakras?"

_The man was so close, the castle so far. If only he had enough time to warn them, to get them to help him ..._

_He was tackled from behind. The man pushed his face into the sidewalk, lowered his mouth to his ear, and whispered. "You know you can't escape so easily."_

_He forced his head to turn so only his cheek was scarred by gravel. The pursuer wore a strange uniform: tight black pants, boots of the same color, and a casual adventure-type hat, also black. The seams were in a luminescent blue, and they seemed to glow. On the man's skin-tight shirt was a blue logo, but it was too fuzzy to make out._

_"The ... the castle ..." he wheezed helplessly, "Help ..."_

_The man smiled. "You want help? How pitiful. We'll help you, though."_

_A phial was pressed to his lips, and a shockingly cold liquid ran down his throat. Suddenly, the world went a shade darker and everything started floating._

_"We'll all help you."_


	5. Chapter Four: Dim

_"I don't care about a stupid baby!" Aika whined as a servant put on her coat._

_"Aren't you at least the tiniest bit happy?" Jiro asked, tugging on some gloves. "I mean, it's a baby brother or sister. Girls love sisters, right?"_

_"No," she told him, her chin in the air. "Besides, I'll hate anybody who makes me get up at midnight just because they got born."_

_Jiro shrugged. "Oh well. I tried. But, in case it helps, Raiden and I weren't mad when we found out Sora was pregnant with you two."_

_"You were two years old, Jiro, of course you wouldn't be."_

_"True enough, true enough." He admitted, helping Aika with her hat. "Dad said that if the baby's a boy, they'll name him Jian."_

_"That's a stupid name."_

_Jiro fought back a laugh. "Uh, sure. And if the baby's a girl, they'll name her Wenqian."_

_"That's even stupider." Aika pouted. "Who would wanna name their kid Wenqian? It's so ... ugly." Jiro smiled at her and shrugged, straightening the tan cap on top of her black curls. He clasped the flaps under her chin shut and patted her back. "Are you ready to go?"_

_Aika titled her head so that her curls spilled farther past her right elbow. "Yeah. Let's see the stupid baby with the stupid name and the stupid mom."_

_"And the stupid half-sister?" Jiro's eyes glittered with humor._

_"Aimi is stupid," Aika smiled with little-kid smugness. "Not me. I'm a little genius."_

_Jiro rolled his eyes. "Don't get too full of yourself."_

_"Too late," Aika grinned wider, and burst into giggles. Jiro grinned too. He was taller than her by about three or four inches, and his prominent chin and cheekbones made him look older. When her eyes met his golden ones, he took her hand and walked her to the front door. Her soft slippers padded behind him. "Jiro, do you think that Lily-Cuifen will make her kid grow up like Aimi and Enlai? All stuffy and such?"_

_Jiro pondered that. "Probably."_

_"Do you think she'd be mad at us if we made it like us? Rowdy, as Daddy says?"_

_He whistled. "Definitely."_

_Aika's grin turned into an evil smirk. "Good."_

Wenqian bit her lip and pressed the lead to the paper. Her forehead rested in her palm.

"... and, in addition to the ten paragraphs, I expect an accompanying essay of 2,000 words on why society's take on the poor is stereotypical and demeaning to ..." Ms. Satoru stopped the chalk from going any further on the blackboard. "Yes?"

A tall, skinny girl in the front row stood. "Ms. Satoru, you wrote on the board the paragraphs and the essay are due the first day after the break."

"Yes, I can see that."

"Um, however, autumn break is only two weeks long and ... well, it's a lot of work." She looked around the classroom, stopping meaningfully at Wen. "I mean, there are just _certain ones_ of us who won't be able to get it done." Wen felt her gut flame. Her fist dropped from her forehead to the desk in a loud slam.

The entire class turned to her. Ms. Satoru, the imposing gray-eyed teacher, shot her a glare. "Wenqian," she hissed, as if the word were a sugarless lemon tart.

Wen looked back down at her paper as if the blank lines were suddenly very interesting. "Yes, Ms. Satoru?"

"Would you like to explain why you found the need to interrupt the class?"

"No, Ms. Satoru."

The six-foot, pencil thin teacher glided over to her desk in the third row, snatching up her paper. She smiled. "I've given you fifteen minutes. Some of your classmates have almost finished the ten paragraphs. Why do you not even have _ten letters?_" Wen felt her cheeks grow hot. A few of the popular girls in the corner giggled, a couple boys made a joke and burst into laughter, and the smarter kids gave her forced sympathetic expressions.

Ms. Satoru slammed the paper back on the dark wood and swiftly walked back to the front of the classroom. She swung her gray robes behind her as she sat. "Wenqian, I'd like to see you after school today. With your parents, please."

_Dang it ... _"B-but my parents are busy," she stuttered.

The teacher didn't look up from her paperwork. "I always forget you're a princess. Can't imagine why." The class snickered and Wen sank down into her chair. "An older sibling, perhaps?"

"Well, yes." Worries swirled inside her head._ I'm so dead._ "I think my half-sister is coming to pick me up. Though, she's also a heir to the throne, so ..."

"She's _also_ a heir to the throne," a girl mocked in a whining voice. The kids around her snorted with laughter.

The teacher sighed and lazily raised her eyes up to the kids seated in front of her. "Class, do you know the difference between _slow_ and _lazy?_"

"Yes," most of the room chimed.

"Could somebody give me a definition for 'lazy', please?"

The tall girl stood up again. "Not willing to do the work. They are able, but prefer not to."

"Good. How about a definition for 'slow'?"

Multiple classmates piped up.

"Stupid!"

"Mentally challenged."

"Dumb."

"Wen!" Somebody shouted out, and the classroom dissolved into crazed fits of laughter. Wenqian felt tears coming on and buried her face in her fuzzy coat. Even the teacher had smiled. She felt like screaming out a curse word, maybe even throwing some serious rock, but instead let loose a sob.

"You see, Wenqian, the core of the matter is –"

The door opened, and the children immediately went silent.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Satoru. Sorry to interrupt, I guess I came a bit too early." _Oh, spirits, help me._

"It's quite alright, Aika. We were just discussing vocabulary." Wen snuck a glance at her older sister, who was just standing in front of the classroom casually. She had on her favorite yellow shirt and a woolen jacket, her hair pulled back and face radiant, looking just as perky and perfect as usual, but today Wen felt a sense of dread engulfing her at the sight. "Okay, class, let's pack up! Have a good break! Aika, would you mind staying a while? I wanted to talk about Wenqian."

She could _hear_ Aika's disappointment level raise.

Wen wiped a tear away and stood up, looking at her feet. The last few children were filing out. That slam of the door seemed deadly. Ms. Satoru peered through her glasses into Aika's green eyes. "Thank you, Aika, for spending your time. Now, this isn't about Wenqian's behavior in class as much as her ... work ethic."

Aika shot a sideways glare. "Now, Ms. Satoru, I'd like to apologize in advance. I haven't been on Wen to do her homework as much as I was last year."

"No, this isn't about her homework." Ms. Satoru clucked as she filed through papers. "Well, I suppose it is. Would you care to look at her test results from yesterday?" That dreaded, red-streaked paper. Ugh. Aika took it and immediately gaped.

"Wen," she groaned. "Really? 2 out of 20 correct? You learned this in 4th grade!"

"Didn't do too well on those tests, either," Wen mumbled.

Aika handed the paper back to her teacher. "Now, Ms. Satoru, I really don't know how to explain this. I thought Wen has always been a good student, not ... not ... not stupid."

Aika thought she was stupid. Aika. Her life goal, her idol, her mentor, thought she was stupid. The word rang in her head for what seemed like hours.

"And I _know_," she continued, "that Wenqian _isn't_ stupid, but she's not lazy, either. She has a great work ethic, and I'm sure she's trying her best, but ... Wen, is this really your best? 10% correct?" Wen looked into Aika's eyes. For a moment, she looked like a concerned, caring mother.

"I don't know," she mumbled.

Ms. Satoru tapped her stack of papers on the desk. "Well, Wen, I've talked to your past teachers. Your grades never have been as good as your sister's. Aika, don't you have a young sibling who's mentally ..."

"Yeah, Jian." Aika furrowed her brows. "But Wen isn't –"

"He is Wenqian's fully biological brother. Have you ever considered that she might be?" Ms. Satoru pressed.

"She's _not_." Wen sighed with relief. "I know she isn't. See, Ms. Satoru, Wen's always picked up things very quick at home. Bending, gymnastics ... er, pretty much a lot of things." Aika's tone carried a spark of doubt.

"Those activities you just listed were both physical. Yes, its true Wenqian excels in the gym portion of the day." Ms. Satoru admitted. "But perhaps she should focus on her studies for a while. Have a good day, Ms. Saidao."

Aika blinked. "I'm sorry, we're done? You just called me in here to inform me on my sister's failing grades and then we're just _done?_"

"We're done." Ms. Satoru said shortly. "You and Wenqian are permitted to go." _Aika, hurry up_, Wen thought, staring pointedly.

Aika, though, looked far from ready to leave. Her eyes glinted with frustration. "No, we're not. Not until I say we are. If you're not going to put any effort into Wen's education, maybe I should take her out of school early."

Ms. Satoru smiled politely. "With all due respect, Princess, you're not in a position to make that decision for –"

"Oh, I'm not?" Aika's voice was rising and Wen almost shouted at her to leave. "I don't have to remind you that I am the eldest daughter of King Longwei. _Your _king. He is my father, and he is Wenqian's father, and if the last name Saidao means anything to you, I highly suggest you put as much work into her education as possible."

"Princess Aika, I respectfully refuse to show favoritism –"

"_Too bad_," Aika snapped at her. Wen sighed. "She is your princess. She outranks you, as do I, and I have half a mind to –"

"Your Highness," Ms. Satoru stood, "I am forced to request you and Princess Wenqian to leave. Again."

"Thanks. Bye." Wen barely even said, grabbing her green-toned backpack and rushing out the door. Aika, to her surprise, didn't even try to catch up. She practically sprinted the ten-minute walk back home, throwing herself onto her bed in barely five minutes. She heaved short breaths, thinking over the last conversation and rewatching all of at pure torture. Aika was acting so odd lately. She missed that bubbly older sister she used to have when she was little. Little pieces of Aika had been getting lost in the last few years. With a long sigh, Wen turned on her side and stared at her writing desk.

It was dotted with pictures of her as a baby, a young Raiden wiping her spit-up off himself, and an eleven-year-old Aika walking her to the school. Wen smiled. Even back then, Aika looked the same: tall, pretty, with the same mischievous-but-mysterious glint in her eye.

The door knocked. "Wen? You in there?" Akihiko. She didn't answer. "Guess not, Aikes."

"Really? I told you and Raiden to knock it off. Anyways, if she wasn't in there, why would the door be closed?" Good point.

"Uh, so her stuffed animals have privacy?" Akihiko huffed. "Look, I don't know. If you're so sure she's in there, open the door yourself."

"No!"

"Why not? Scared?" Akihiko taunted. Wen could assume Aika started bending, because a girlish shriek rang through the door and heavy footsteps started running.

A chuckle. "Okay, Wen, he's gone. You're spared the smell of fear. Can I come in?"

"No." She said automatically, and added, "No, thank you."

Aika snorted. "Please, don't turn into your mother. We have enough stiff-faced royals in this place. Can I at least help you?"

Wen cocked an eyebrow. "With what?"

"Something to do. Let's see, can you go out and get some milk, cheese ..."

"Why do we have to do the groceries?" she complained. "We have servants to do that for us. Dad's thick in the skull, I'll tell you that."

"That's what I've been saying for my whole life," Aika sighed. "Can I come in? Please? Please, Wen?"

Wen shrugged and wiped at her cheeks, making sure there weren't any tear tracks. "Sure."

The door slid open and Aika sauntered in, sitting next to her on the bed. She didn't say anything for a while, but eventually said, "I'm sorry for almost flipping out on your teacher."

Wen raised an eyebrow. "Almost?"

"Shut up," Aika smiled, rubbing Wen's leg. "Anyways. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Wen shrugged.

"Wenqian."

"Nothing!" she insisted, even though she knew she was a bad liar.

Aika sat there, watching her. "Look, I've been bullied before too. I have three brothers my age, it's kind of a given."

"What could they bully you about?" Wen groaned. "You're perfect."

Aika smiled. "Trust me, Wen, just because I have a few talents doesn't make me perfect. I have some flaws, too, just like everybody. But, um, Raiden and Aki used to tease me about my bending a lot. I'm a horrible firebender, you know that. Jiro said they just felt threatened because I'm a good gymnast, and maybe he was right, but they used to bully me so much, I swear. Now that we're older, they don't do it as much." She sighed and closed her eyes. "Look, Wen, I know how it feels to be hurt, emotionally and physically. I know what it feels like to be ... to be abused, and I'm not going to let that happen to you, okay? When was the last time you saw your mother?"

"Yesterday, at dinner," she told her.

"And she hasn't hurt you?"

Wen thought. "No. I mean, she's insulted me and stuff, but not physically."

Aika smiled weakly. "Good. That's good, okay? But, um, I want you to know that if you want to stop school, I can take you out and tutor you myself."

Wen shrugged. "I don't know. It might get better."

"You're right," she agreed. "It might. But it might not. It's your choice, alright? If you ever want me to take you out, just tell me and I will, okay?"

"I will," Wen told her.

Aika sighed again and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. "Good. I have to go train with Jiro, but I'll see you at dinner, okay? And don't think you can get out of gymnastics practice tomorrow. We need to work on your aerials, and I've been letting you go with a lot of messy passes. We'll get to work right after breakfast, so wear your gear, alright?"

"Okay," she mumbled as Aika slipped out and the footsteps jogged away. Her eyes landed back on a photo of her half-sister. She touched her hair and her cheeks. Aika always had been unorthodox in the ways of appearances, with the mix of curled hair and jade eyes and freckled cheeks, at the same time too pretty and interesting to look away. Wen wasn't like that. She knew there were a billion other girls with her same flat black hair and pale eyes. She was short, too, the second shortest in the grade. Sometimes she felt like Akane, a girl reaching close to five-foot-seven, could step on her and she would be crushed. Or Aika, for that matter, who was almost as tall as Raiden.

She was plain.

She was stupid.

She was worthless.

Wenqian sighed.

She was a failure.


	6. Chapter Five: Lit

**So sorry it's late guys**

Akihiko elbowed her in the ribs. "Aika."

Her eyes flashed open, finding the entire conference room staring at her, waiting. "Uh ... was I supposed to answer some question?" she asked meekly, rubbing her eyes and adjusting the gold-and-green jeweled tiara atop her curls.

At the head of the table, King Longwei rubbed his temple. He was a tall, muscled man, with a crop of brownish-black hair growing to his jawline. He stared emotionlessly at his daughter with dull green eyes. "Aika, I ... I asked if you had any ideas why the kidnappings have been occurring."

"The what?"

A long sigh echoed through the room. Raiden, at the king's left hand, gave her a sarcastic thumbs-up and a cocky grin.

Longwei, meanwhile, glared daggers at her. Aika shrugged innocently, plucking a loose thread in her emerald-colored gown. "Princess," one of the consultants spoke up, then turned red and stood. "Y-Your Majesty King Longwei, may I explain it to your daughter?"

"You have permission, continue."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Princess Aika, your esteemed father has just gone through the recording of all seven nightly ... well, _disappearances_. They all happen at a different time, though after 9:00, and the victims are all diverse."

To be wholeheartedly honest, Aika really didn't care that much when it came to political meetings. She tried to avoid them at all costs. But throw in some random disappearances, and you've got her interest. "Diverse? As in, how? Like, different cultures?"

"Four were Fire Nation descendants, one Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, and the latest two were Earth Kingdom."

"Uh, both genders?"

"Five male, two female."

"Social standing?"

"Two lower class, four middle, one noble."

Aika furrowed her brows. So far, no similarities. "I have no idea, King - er, Father."

Across from her, Aimi stood, flicking a lock of hair over her shoulder. "Stepfather, if I may, I would like to point out that you have not yet listed the victims of the said kidnappings."

"The board's right behind him," Aika mumbled. "If you can read."

Aimi glared, her eyes like blue ice.

Beside her, Enlai snarled. "Aika, in the conference? It's bad enough you only show up twice a year."

"I _do_ have a life, yes."

"And now, snippy comments at the sweetest girl I know?"

Aika blinked, her face completely deadpan. "I'm sorry, I'm confused. I thought I was making snippy comments at _Aimi_."

Enlai shook his long black hair out of his eyes and growled. Behind Akihiko's chair, Jiro gave her a high five. Longwei sighed and motioned for quiet. "Children, children. Please, peace. So, yes, Aimi, if you would look at the board behind me, you can see the names of the victims." He gestured to them impromptu cork board somebody had set up on a makeshift easel.

"Whoa," Aika smiled. "Wasn't that first guy your ex-boyfriend?"

"Oh, whistle another number," Aimi snapped, "but yes, he was." Akihiko snickered. "He was a nice guy, bought me a bundle of dresses and gold necklaces. His hair was tangled when he showed up for our fifth date, though, so I dropped him."

"No reminiscing!" Raiden said loudly, shooting glares at Aimi and Aika. The officials around the table slumped in their seats, sensing the impending argument.

"Technically, reminiscing is remembering enjoyable events." Aika pointed out. "Break-ups don't exactly fall into that category."

"Oh, it _was_ enjoyable," Aimi said. "He started crying out and following me, and the chaos caught the attention of my next boyfriend. Turns out he was a total jerk with no sense of taste. I mean, he _did_ think you were pretty, Aika, and we all know –"

Raiden shook his head. "Alright, alright, so Aimi enjoys breaking boy's hearts. Nice to know, I guess, but we're not supposed to be discussing personal stuff. Can we get back to the meeting?"

"Oh-ho, you want to see taste?"

"_Please_?"

"I can't wait until I'm twenty-one," Wen told her.

They were sitting on the beam in the palace gym, sipping water and nibbling little sandwiches. Aika looked over at her, swallowing. "Why's that?"

"Because I get to hold power, that's why," she smiled. Her feet swung back and forth.

"That's only if Dad dies," Aika reminded her. "And besides, you ... um, you don't get that much power."

Wen looked at her with wide, disappointed eyes. "I don't? Aki said I do!"

"Don't listen to Aki," Aika rolled her eyes. "He likes joking around, you know that. Anyways, if Dad dies and you turn twenty-one, you'll only get quaternary power."

"I'll get what now?"

Aika groaned. "Do I have to explain it all? I can barely remember it."

"Yes, you do." Wen took a bite of her sandwich. "And too bad."

"Alright, so it starts with Raiden and Jiro," Aika began, trying her best to remember it all. "They'll be joint kings, which means they have dual rulership, okay? They get the power to make executive decisions and all that. Primary power, whole deal. Then, once Aki and I are of age, we get secondary rulership. That basically means we have to power to greatly influence the executive decisions and we're more of a social figure than political. Just a bit less power than the kings. Then comes Aimi and Enlai. Even though they're stepchildren, Dad wants them to be a part of it, but Enlai is put back a couple years to be safe, even though he's older than Aki and I. They get less power than us, but they can still kinda influence the decisions Raiden and Jiro make.

"Then it's you. You, um, you don't really get to do much. Sorry. You're like a social figure, and you know what goes on. And then the triplets basically just get publicity and that's it."

Wen stared at her. "I don't get to do anything?"

"Nope," Aika half heartedly smiled. "Sorry?"

"What doofus made all that up?"

"Dad and his advisors," she told her, rolling her eyes. "The idea started out after Aki and I were born. Then it really was put into law when you were born."

"That's not fair!" Wen protested.

"Sorry, Wen. It's just how it is," she shrugged. "But, um, just between you and me? I'm thinking of denying power."

Her little sister gawked at her. "You're _what?_"

"Don't act so surprised," Aika sighed. "Look, I don't want that responsibility. I don't want the power to affect the public's everyday lives. I don't trust myself with politics, and neither does Dad."

"Dad's an idiot if he thinks you can't handle it," Wen told her. Her voice dripped with passion and confidence, and Aika smiled a little.

"Wen, I appreciate it, but ... look, I'm not a thinker."

"Don't lie."

"I'm not, Wen! I can't do politics. I might be able to do stuff like fly through academics and develop sub-bending, but I can't use logic like Jiro. He can just detach himself from a situation and look at the whole big picture, weigh the outcomes. I can't do that," Aika furrowed her brows as she talked. "I let my feelings get in the way of everything. I hold grudges and I'm always really biased. I can't look at the black-and-white like some people."

"People aren't perfect, Aika," Wen reminded her.

"You're right," she agreed. "But Jiro is perfect for the job. He's strong, and intelligent, and a fair leader."

"But what about Raiden and –"

"Well, yeah, there's them." Aika sighed. "But even they have positive points. Raiden, he likes to be fair, even if he doesn't show it. He enjoys making decisions that work. And Aki, he's cunning and creative. He could add a lot to Raiden and Jiro's ideas. He's also such an extrovert, it's ridiculous. He can get people to like him so easily. You see, Wen, I don't want that life. I can't do it."

"But," she countered, "you're passionate and smart. You could do so many things, Aika, things that –"

"That would land me in your history book," she finished. "And not as some great visionary. As Princess Aika Saidao of Yanyu. I don't want to be remembered for a revolution in the job industry or something. I want to be remembered for something ... something real. Something that matters."

Wen sighed, defeated. "Something different."

"Yes!" Aika agreed, jumping down from the bar and bouncing around a couple times. "You know, I kind of have this idea. And I know its impossible, but ... I just want to travel the world and study different cultures. Help out the needy, maybe pick up some tricks for my bending. I mean, maybe even _teach_ lightbending. Can you just imagine that? People like me, people who can do it. Firebenders who feel that pull to air. Wouldn't that just ... I don't know. I love the idea."

"You want to ... be nomadic." Wen raised her brows.

"Well, yeah. I just want to be free to go wherever I want. Always be uprooted. Travel, and see the world. I know that it's never going to happen, but I can't be cooped up forever," she ended with a wide smile, a real one Wen hadn't seen in a long time. That kind of smile that lit up her eyes and dimpled her cheeks, making her look like this truly happy teenaged girl, with her innocence fully intact and safe. Making her look a little like Wenqian.

And then the door to the gym opened. And those shadows in her eyes returned.

**Again, sorry it's late! I'm falling a little behind lately. Also, please please pleaaaaase review! I need reviews so badly it's just incomprehensible **


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